I installed the app on my phone earlier today just to see what everyone was talking about. After playing it for a bit I do have to say I like it, though I think people in more populated areas and cities are having way more fun. I practically live out in the sticks here and there are no Pokestops or Gyms until I drive about 20 minutes away.

Walking around outside my house I did manage to catch a few of them. They were: Weedles, Eevee, Rattata, Bellsprout, Drowzee, Spearow, Pidgey, Nidoran, Kakuna, Venonat, Paras, Gastly, Zubat, and Balbasaur. There’s also a Nine-Tails wondering around somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. ^^

So far I’m only on level 5. Will I keep playing? Probably not. I mean I was never really too big into Pokemon to begin with. I mean if I’m out walking I might let it run but at the same time it will eat my data soooo fast. -__-

As long as you live therewillcome a day when you can smile from theheart.

We're in an urban area (the greater DC area). Around our current apartment (in Arlington), there're 5 gyms and probably 20-30 Pokestops in easy walking distance -- and those gyms are constantly changing hands. Also around my office (downtown DC) there's another 3 gyms and a Pokestop every 2 blocks or so.

I haven't had a lot of time to play, but I have been able to get up to Level 8 and catch... maybe 40 by now? (I can't tell 'cause I can't get into the servers at the moment.) KF

Yeah, I've read that the location data was originally crowdsourced, so there's a pretty heavy bias toward places where people with smartphones are likely to walk around. Which means, surprise, black neighborhoods have a lot fewer pokemon. :/

I've been playing. Similar to Kizyr, I have several stops and gyms within easy walking distance, and I can catch a few Pokemon from my apartment. I usually reserve playing for when I go on walks. So far, I've mostly only messed with recruiting Pokemon and upgrading them - no big gym battles. This means I have a Flareon and a couple of Pidgeots on top. Just today I found a Poliwhirl. I'm at level 11.

I think the game is well-designed as a free-to-play app that isn't quite a pay-to-win app. I don't need to buy anything in order to play, but I do see several hooks that will only grow as I continue to play: limited ability to hatch eggs, limited bag size, scarcity of particular resources.

"Just as you touch the energy of every life form you meet, so, too, will will their energy strengthen you. Fail to live up to your potential, and you will never win. " --- The Old Man at the End of Time

Back in my day we sat in the air conditioning to catch our imaginary creatures. Kids these days going out and getting exercise and experiencing the real world. It's a travesty I tells ya. Ain't nothing out doors besides bears and ex-wives.

Yes, I've played it. Yes, it has been the cause of many impromptu 10k hikes. No, I am not regretting a moment of it. Well, maybe I regret that time I shoved that kid and took his phone. But, you know, all about that Team Rocket life.

Ardent Fox wrote:Back in my day we sat in the air conditioning to catch our imaginary creatures. Kids these days going out and getting exercise and experiencing the real world. It's a travesty I tells ya. Ain't nothing out doors besides bears and ex-wives.

Yes, I've played it. Yes, it has been the cause of many impromptu 10k hikes. No, I am not regretting a moment of it. Well, maybe I regret that time I shoved that kid and took his phone. But, you know, all about that Team Rocket life.

TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVASATATION!!!

Man my legs get so sore from all the walking. But it's the good post-workout kind of sore. Between that and all the yard work at our new house, I'm getting more exercise this past month than I have in years. ...and I"m not really that sedentary a guy to begin with. KF

The cartoon is such bull honkey. Every time I tried to make that speech, people just wandered away from me or joined in. Ash could have just done either of those. If he'd walked away, absolutely nothing would have happened. They would have been too busy posing.

I gave the game a shot because I enjoy the regular Pokemon games and even the spin-offs like Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament, Colosseum, Gale of Darkness, etc., but I don't get the appeal of Pokemon Go at all.

As someone who still plays on the walking part of my commute* and on weekend walks, the appeal to me has always been two-fold.

1. It's something to do when I'm walking that I don't feel like doing anything else. It's low-focus so I can still think about other things; all I need to do is walk with my phone next to me with the screen on and occasionally look when there's a Pokemon (the phone vibrates) or there's a Pokestop (I glance at the map and see it).

2. Indirect social interaction. It gets me out and meeting people or at least the traces of people. If I'd had a smartphone earlier, I would've liked Ingress for the same reason.

Am I really serious about catching them all or taking all the gyms? I've mainly given up on holding more than one or two at a time, so I've been collecting candy and Pokemon and doing what good I can at gyms on the edge. I play it slowly, and I'm okay with that.

*10-15 minute walk between the train station and my office which I do twice a day. I pass two gyms, a handful of stops, and probably get 5-10 pokemon, including a regular Clefairy spot.

"Just as you touch the energy of every life form you meet, so, too, will will their energy strengthen you. Fail to live up to your potential, and you will never win. " --- The Old Man at the End of Time

Sonic# wrote:As someone who still plays on the walking part of my commute* and on weekend walks, the appeal to me has always been two-fold.

1. It's something to do when I'm walking that I don't feel like doing anything else. It's low-focus so I can still think about other things; all I need to do is walk with my phone next to me with the screen on and occasionally look when there's a Pokemon (the phone vibrates) or there's a Pokestop (I glance at the map and see it).

2. Indirect social interaction. It gets me out and meeting people or at least the traces of people. If I'd had a smartphone earlier, I would've liked Ingress for the same reason.

Am I really serious about catching them all or taking all the gyms? I've mainly given up on holding more than one or two at a time, so I've been collecting candy and Pokemon and doing what good I can at gyms on the edge. I play it slowly, and I'm okay with that.

*10-15 minute walk between the train station and my office which I do twice a day. I pass two gyms, a handful of stops, and probably get 5-10 pokemon, including a regular Clefairy spot.

Agreed with this appraisal. I do the same thing with Pokemon Go. Though admittedly I'm not so much into the battling and just like the collecting.

Honestly, now, the main thing that's kept me from playing as much Pokemon Go as I would've otherwise is the battery drain. It's gotten better with more recent updates, but it seemed like whenever I used it, the battery drain would continue even after I closed the program (....like it starts something running in the background).

Ah, anyway, we also don't live near 8 Pokestops and 4 gyms like in our last apartment, so that makes it a little tougher. Still trying to find a few more Eevees to do a bunch of evolutions all in a row. KF